Isabella Rossellini

Actor / Model

Born: 18 June 1952

Birthplace: Rome, Italy

Best known as:

Dorothy Vallens in David Lynch's Blue Velvet

Name at birth: Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini

Actress, model, cosmetics spokeswoman and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini is probably best known for her role as Dorothy Vallens in the 1986 David Lynch film Blue Velvet, as well as for being the daughter of film star Ingrid Bergman and filmmaker Roberto Rossellini. She began her public career as a model in the late 1970s, and from 1982 until 1996 she was the face of Lancome Cosmetics. She made her movie debut in 1976, but it was Blue Velvet that gave her film career a boost.

Since then Isabella Rosselini has had a long career as a magazine model, developed her own scent with Coty ("Manifesto") and taken on several challenging roles in the movies and on TV. An animal lover who donates time and money to wildlife causes, Rossellini also makes short films on animal sex habits called Green Porno: Seduce Me and in 2011 began a television series called Animals Distract Me. Her films include Lynch's Wild At Heart (1990), Immortal Beloved (1994, with her one-time boyfriend, Gary Oldman), Big Night (1996), and The Saddest Music in the World (2003).

Extra credit:

Isabella Rossellini was married to filmmaker Martin Scorsese from 1979 to 1983... She has a twin sister, Isotta.